Takara gave birth yesterday and thankfully mother and calf are both doing great!

As ever, the first few days are critical and the start of nursing is the first big milestone, we do not yet know if the calf is male or female and it's impossible to tell from this photo.

UPDATE:

I am very happy to report that the calf has begun to nurse successfully and will continue to be watched 24hrs per day in the coming weeks. SeaWorld have released a video so you can see this historic birth, a very bitter sweet moment:

Another disappointing Sea World addition. The coaster is WAY too short (just over 1 minute) and there is literally no theming (except the screens in that very cringe worthy launch section). It also looks hideous with the foundations sticking out like sore thumb. I really don't know what is going on in Sea World's management if they approve the building of this and Ocean Explorer.

Another disappointing Sea World addition. The coaster is WAY too short (just over 1 minute) and there is literally no theming (except the screens in that very cringe worthy launch section). It also looks hideous with the foundations sticking out like sore thumb. I really don't know what is going on in Sea World's management if they approve the building of this and Ocean Explorer.

I know you have a vendetta against SeaWorld TPC but I don't quite know what you were expecting. It's an all round crowd pleaser from Intamin and is getting rave reviews so far! San Antonio isn't a park to do extensive theming on their rides, but the ride has some really nice landscaping and the queue line is pretty cool! Many people saying that this is the perfect attraction for SWSA and I have to agree, especially coming off the heels of Discovery Point in 2016!

Just as a side note, I don't think we are in a position to criticise short rides with Oblivion, Rita, Nemesis, Galactica & Th13teen all being about as short as Wave Breaker

I have just finished a week of work experience at SeaWorld San Antonio, I was going to post a report about all that I got up to but that will have to wait as I must bring some worrying information about the Killer Whale calf. The calf is a female and has been named Kyara (a mix between father Kyuquot and mother Takara). Kyara has started to show signs of pneumonia which is a common condition in many cetaceans. As a result, the decision has been taken to remove her from the rest of the pod for treatment in the park's animal hospital area. Therefore, Kyara is now being bottle fed by park staff rather than nursing from Takara (SeaWorld has successfully raised several Killer Whales with bottle feeding in the past). The hope is for Kyara to respond positively to treatment and then she will be reintroduced to mother Takara and the rest of the pod. The other 5 members of the Killer Whale pod (including Takara) appear to be healthy and acting normally. This is an extremely nervous time for the entire SeaWorld community and we all appreciate any thoughts or prayers that you may have for Kyara.

I am completely crushed, Kyara passed away early in the morning of July 24th despite the best efforts of the dedicated veterinary and animal care teams in San Antonio. Thankfully, the rest of the Killer Whale pod appear to be healthy but nevertheless this is a devastating time for everyone at the park and across the SeaWorld community. This means that Kamea, Kyara's half sister is now the youngest Killer Whale at SeaWorld San Antonio at 3 years old.

SeaWorld San Antonio have at last confirmed that 31 year old Beluga Whale Crissy is pregnant and is due in the coming weeks. She is currently under 24hr watch and as ever this is a very exciting but nervous time.

The park is currently home to 8 Beluga Whales ranging in age from Kenai who is just over a year old to Natasha who is a very old Beluga Whale in her late 30s!